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Jeff Benjamin is an award-winning music and travel journalist, editor, curator and host based in New York City. In addition to his writing, his expertise on pop music—particularly in international music and his specialty as an expert in K-pop (Korean pop)—has been featured in and commissioned as a source for outlets like the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, CNN, USA Today, Time, BBC, Allure, VICE, Forbes, Pollstar, MTV, Money, NPR, The Fader, Yahoo!, The Korea Times, The Korea Herald and many more.
The Harlem journalist has made on-air appearances and hosted segments for CNN, Billboard, ABC News, CBS, NBC, Good Morning America, Time, E! News, Inside Edition, FOX, BUILD Series, Entertainment Tonight, Variety, Cheddar, NY1, Extra, Arirang TV and more. The 31-year-old has spoken on radio and podcasts for the New York Times’ ‘Popcast’ podcast, WNYC, NPR ,‘Here & Now’ and ‘All Things Considered,’ Billboard’s Must-Hear Music podcast, Barstool Sports and more.
“The leading American authority on K-pop.”
–The New York Times, 2018
“The perfect person to talk to us about K-pop.”
–CNN, 2018
Jeff has been asked to share his expertise as an expert, journalist and consultant to speak at local and international events including SXSW, Comic-Con, and KCON in the United States, MU:CON, the Culture Communication Forum, the Korea Foundation’s Public Diplomacy Week and MBN Y Forums in South Korea, MIDEM in France, and more.
As of Summer 2019, he is currently acting as the international correspondent for We K-Pop, a K-pop variety show filmed in South Korea by KBS World that is aired weekly to more than 100 million viewers in 120 countries around the world. His weekly segments include an in-depth analysis on that week’s guest as well as a featured “Jeff’s Pick of the Week” and analyses on artists rising on the K-pop scene. For the 2020 season in the era of COVID-19, We K-Pop re-branded as We K-Pop Friends to make K-pop fans wishes come true remotely with Jeff adding segments of analysis on each week’s guest.
“Reported about K-pop even before it started blowing up.”
–Kim Shinyoung, Award-Winning Korean Entertainer & TV Host, 2019
“Just as famous as any other K-pop star among K-pop fans.”
–Arirang TV, 2019
In January of 2020, Jeff was recognized with his first award as a journalist. The Corea Image Communication Institute (CICI) named him winner of The Korea Image Stepping Stone Bridge Award for “his contribution to introducing K-pop artists to the world becoming a bridge between the artists and the global audience.”
By the end of the year, his expertise expanded into the industry including earning his first credit as a consulting producer for the single release and music video for K-pop boy band A.C.E’s “Fav Boyz (Steve Aoki’s Gold Star Remix)” with Thutmose. Released on January 8, 2021, the track entered Billboard‘s Dance/Electronic and World charts and the music video earned more than 1 million views in its first month.
Today was an exciting day as I brought in to NPR’s studios to be a guest and talk about boy bands! With news that both the U.K.’s One Direction and Japan’s SMAP could be breaking up, NPR reached out to me as someone who has knowledge with the East and West pop world. It was a fun little segment on Here & Now with Robin Young and Jeremy Hobson, and I hope I’m brought back again soon! That’s a photo I took in the studio to the left with my trusty notebook always at my side!
